Energy balance
Sleep restriction (4 hours time in bed) in healthy adults causes significant weight gain and increased caloric intake, driven primarily by a shift in meal timing toward late-night consumption (22:00-03:59) and increased meal frequency.
If you are restricting your sleep to around 4 hours a night, you are likely to gain weight and eat more calories, especially late at night. To mitigate this, try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and be mindful of your eating habits, particularly in the late evening. If you must stay up late, be aware that you are more likely to consume extra calories and gain weight.
Sleep-restricted subjects gained more weight (0.97 ± 1.4 kg) than control subjects (0.11 ± 1.9 kg)... In sleep-restricted subjects, increased daily caloric intake was due to more meals and the consumption of 552.9 ± 265.8 additional calories between 22:00-03:59.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial in a controlled laboratory setting with a large sample size (N=225) and objective measurements.
Source
Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Weight Gain, Caloric Intake, and Meal Timing in Healthy Adults
Andrea M. Spaeth et al. · SLEEP · 2013
DOI 10.5665/sleep.2792
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